Never Surprised breaks through with Gio Ponti Stakes romp

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Never Surprised ended his streak of seconditis in 2021 while continuing his love affair with Aqueduct, recording a front-running 6 1/4-length victory in Friday’s $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes.

The win improved Never Surprised to 3 for 3 over Aqueduct’s turf course, a surface over which he won both his starts at 2 including the Central Park Stakes. In three starts this year, however, Never Surprised finished second in a trio of graded events, including a neck defeat to Public Sector in the Grade 2 Hill Prince.

Visually, and by margin of victory, the Gio Ponti was Never Surprised’s best performance to date. Moreover, if the final time was accurate - something that been questionable around here for the last few months - Never Surprised set a course record, covering 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:40.75 over the inner turf course. In the 2000 Ft. Marcy Stakes, Spindrift ran the distance in 1:40.88.

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Regardless of time, trainer Todd Pletcher was impressed with what he saw Friday. The heavily favored Never Surprised returned $3.40 to win.

“The way he settled and the way he kicked the last part, you could argue that was his best performance,” Pletcher said.

Never Surprised has been known to be a bit keen in the morning and afternoon. He had raced last year in a ring bit, going 2 for 2 with both wins at Aqueduct. Pletcher changed to a cage bit to get the horse to train. He raced three times in that bit, finishing second all three times. Friday, somewhat on the advice of jockey Kendrick Carmouche, Never Surprised was equipped with a ring bit that gave Carmouche a little more control.

“It’s good to have a trainer like Todd that listens to you that not only make yourself a winner but makes the team a winner,” Carmouche said. “He put a ring bit on him. He had it the first two times, but Todd said he’s really bad in the morning getting out so they had to change it just to get him to work. They thought it would work in the afternoon but he kept running second so we had to go back to what worked.”

Safe Conduct, the Queen's Plate winner, won a three-way photo for second by a nose over Gussy Mac, who was a nose better than Ocala Dream. Kygo, Monition, and Original completed the order of finish.

Pletcher said Never Surprised, a son of Constitution owned by Mike Repole, could be considered for the $100,000 Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 26.

Flower Point gets up in Forever Together

Flower Point wore down Giacosa in the final strides to win the $145,500 Forever Together Stakes by a neck. It was four lengths back to Sailingintothewind.

Mucha Mezquina, who set the pace, finished fourth followed by Speaktomeofsummer. Platinum Paynter scratched.

Flower Point was sent off the heavy favorite in the Forever Together based on her late-rallying third-place finish in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel Stakes last month at Belmont. She paid $3.30 to win on Friday.

Friday, she was a close-up third and three wide under Jose Lezcano in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares. When Giacosa, under Luis Saez, made a move to her outside entering the far turn, Lezcano wanted Flower Point to go as well, but the filly had other ideas.

Flower Point was still fourth of five at the eighth pole, but when Lezcano got her into the clear, Flower Point got going and was able to gradually run down Giacosa, who took the lead from Mucha Mezquina in midstretch.

Lezcano said he tried to with Giacosa entering the far turn, but that Flower Point said, “No, not yet.”

“She completely let that filly go by,” he said, referring to Giacosa. “I said, let’s wait a little longer, and when I asked her at the quarter and tipped outside she gave me the run I needed to win the race.”

Flower Point, a 5-year-old daughter of Point of Entry owned and bred by Steve Feiger and trained by Shug McGaughey, covered the 1 1/16 miles over good turf in 1:42.28.

The victory was one of two on the card for McGaughey, who also won an allowance turf race with the 3-year-old filly Flanigan’s Cove. McGaughey has six wins from 14 starters at the Aqueduct fall meet.